Chapter 158: Another Fat Sheep

"Hoopa, can we stop playing now?"

Inside the Sunagakure casino, Ryo sighed helplessly, looking at Hoopa, who was completely absorbed in gambling.

At first, he thought Hoopa was just curious and would lose interest quickly.

But to his horror, the mischievous Pokémon was hooked.

Since returning from the Pokémon Sanctuary, they had been stuck here for hours.

It was already midday, and yet Hoopa was still going strong, absolutely unwilling to leave.

"No! Hoopa hasn't played enough yet! Hoopa wants to bet small this time!"

Watching Hoopa's intense focus and gambler's posture, Ryo's lips twitched uncontrollably.

Seriously… who would have thought that Hoopa of all Pokémon would get addicted to gambling?

And not just gambling—full-on, reckless betting.

Ryo covered his face and turned toward Temari and her group.

Seeing them dozing off, looking utterly defeated, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

They were just supposed to guide them to the casino…

Now they were stuck babysitting a gambling addict.

Before today, they had seen Hoopa as a mysterious and powerful being.

But now…

"Hoopa is angry! Hoopa lost again!"

Hoopa pouted and stood with arms akimbo, looking frustrated.

The other gamblers at the table burst into laughter.

"Haha! Kiddo, this place isn't for you!"

"Yeah, yeah! Better leave before you lose your pants!"

At first, people had been surprised to see Hoopa gambling.

It wasn't every day you saw such a strange-looking gambler.

But as time passed, they got used to it.

And honestly? They loved it.

Because Hoopa had no concept of money and bet everything every round.

For the other gamblers, Hoopa was the perfect cash cow.

It was free money.

And that was exactly what annoyed Ryo the most.

When they arrived, he had given Hoopa plenty of money so he could enjoy himself.

But instead of playing cautiously, Hoopa had shoved everything down at once.

Before Ryo could even react, it was all gone.

Then Hoopa came back and asked for more.

If Ryo hadn't been making good money recently, he would have been furious.

This wasn't gambling—this was charity work for the other players!

"Hoopa is NOT happy! Hoopa WILL win!"

Determined, Hoopa turned to Ryo, stretching out a hand.

"Ryo, Hoopa is out of money! Give Hoopa more!"

Ryo's lips twitched again, and he forced a pained smile.

"Hoopa, can we not do this right now? Let's come back another time, okay?"

Hoopa shook its head furiously.

"No! Hoopa must win!"

Ryo sighed.

Win?

You're gambling like Tsunade! Sure, you don't lose every time, but you go all in every round!

From the start until now, not once had Hoopa made any money back.

It was pure losses.

At this rate, Hoopa was going to end up like Tsunade—one of the casino's biggest cash cows.

Ryo rubbed his temples and tried again.

"Hoopa, we're out of money. We can't gamble anymore. Let's go earn more first, then come back."

Hoopa pouted, clearly unwilling to give up.

"But Hoopa still wants to play…"

"We have no money," Ryo repeated. "No money, no gambling. We'll come back when we can afford it."

Hoopa frowned, deep in thought.

Seeing that, Ryo breathed a sigh of relief.

It looked like Hoopa was finally realizing the situation.

But just as he was about to relax—

Hoopa's eyes lit up.

"Wait! We can get more money from the treasury! Just like last time! We'll take some gold, and Hoopa will have money again!"

"…PFFT—"

Ryo nearly spit out blood.

He stared at Hoopa in pure disbelief.

What the hell happened to you?!

Why did you turn out like this?!

First, stealing… now gambling… what next?!

Even Temari and the others, who had been half-asleep, suddenly snapped awake.

Their eyes widened in disbelief.

Wait, wait, wait—

Did Hoopa just say… "steal from the treasury"…?

And for gambling?!

All three of them turned to Ryo with judgmental stares.

This… is how he teaches his Pokémon?!

But Ryo was too focused on Hoopa to notice them.

He frowned.

"Hoopa, if you keep this up, I'll get angry. Who told you to steal?!"

Hoopa lowered its head, looking guilty.

"But Hoopa just wants to play… Hoopa doesn't want to leave."

"You can play next time," Ryo said firmly.

"Let's go. If you keep acting like this, I won't bring you out again."

Hearing that, Hoopa's eyes widened in panic.

"Ryo, don't be mad! Hoopa was wrong! Hoopa will stop playing! Hoopa will play next time!"

Ryo finally smiled, ruffling Hoopa's head.

"That's better. Come on, let's go. There'll be other chances."

With that, he grabbed Hoopa and walked out of the casino.

The gamblers left behind sighed in disappointment.

Their favorite cash cow was gone.

From now on, it was back to fighting against real players.

Someone muttered, "Man… I'm gonna miss Hoopa. That table was heaven…"

Temari and the others overheard that and felt their faces twitch.

But they said nothing and followed Ryo out.

Outside the casino, Ryo lectured Hoopa.

"Hoopa, you can't just steal things. How would you feel if someone stole your bottle?"

"You'd feel bad, right?"

Hoopa nodded slowly.

"Then don't do it to others. Stealing hurts people."

"…Hoopa understands. Hoopa won't do it again."

Ryo nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. As long as you learn from your mistakes, that's all that matters."

Hoopa smiled.

"Yes! Hoopa can do it!"

At that moment, Temari walked up.

"Boss, let's get something to eat. Consider it a thank-you."

Ryo thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Sure, let's go."

Temari and the others led the way.

Ryo followed, thinking—

Free food?

Why not?

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